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Why did they moved the story thread to the stickies just now? I had an heart attack when I couldn't find it in its usual place.

Somebody should post the Discord link for the new people before the forums go temporarily offline. I have no clue how Discord works, otherwise I'd do it myself.

We got stickied. I think it's because we have the single biggest thread out of the entire SRK forums (and still going strong), tallying the most posts and views. Despite the many SFV Lounges, Character requests, and tournament threads in the past, we've been going on for over two years (more if you didn't count when the first story thread got removed for god knows what reason).
Like it or not, i think we've become an essential part of the SRK forum, so they deemed us worthy to be stickied.

(And I know what you’re thinking: “Holy crap, this is so sad, sappy, and pathetic. Chun-Li_Forever, you’re gonna die alone. Why not rank REAL celebreties, like the Maxim Top 100 List, or something?”
To that, I say, SF Ladies are way more interesting than any of the Hollywood celebs out there. Plus they kick ass. Trust me, I could talk for hours about the design, impact, and look of Street Fighter women, opposed to digging up whatever the hell the Kardashians are doing.)

Anyways, for those who’ve gotten past the second paragraph, I’m sure you all have a SF waifu (or husbando) that you’ve greatly admired through the years, whether it is because of their look, personality, story, gameplay, impact, etc. Street Fighter has no doubt quite the cast of strong, independent, and powerful women. And it is not difficult to pick one that you love.

Throughout the years, video games have brought us a wonderful abundance of amazing, memorable, and impactful female characters. From the classic Princess in peril: Princess Peach, to the solo queen of adventure: Lara Croft. And let’s not forget Jill Valentine, Samus, Bayonetta, Tifa Lockhart, and so much more.

Fighting Games have given their fan-bases with some incredible strong women, ranging from the Femme Fatales of Mortal Kombat, to the eye-candy fighters of Dead Or Alive, to the fantastical anime fighters of Blazeblu and Guilty Gear. But for me (and many of us on the forums), the one group of characters that have left the biggest impression comes from the cast of Street Fighter.

For this list, rather than go with a conventional “Top ___ “ List, I’ve grouped the ladies into tiers, with my personal favorite being at the top.

RULES
- I am only including characters from the canon SF storyline and their respective games. So unfortunately, I will NOT be adding any SF EX characters. It’s not that I believe the EX females don’t deserve any sort of admiration or praise. But I don’t think I would be able to grade them fairly, compared to the others. My experience with EX fighting games is scarce, so to be fair to the list and to the EX characters, I will not be adding them.
- To make the list, the fighter must have been playable in a Street Fighter game. Non-Fighting characters are disqualified (Li-Fen, Nadeshiko, Eliza Masters, etc). And to make it fair, because FALKE has not been released at the time this list was created, she is not eligible to be on the list.
- No copycat, only their original form. So Shadow Lady and Dark Sakura will not be on this list. (Decapre counts as her own character, despite almost being a near clone of Cammy, so she’s in). Before anyone mentions the Dolls (Juli and Juni), I’ll get to them in the list

And now for the piece de resistance of the night. the breakdown of the Arcade Mode opening Cinematic.

- 00:12-00:20: Right away I was blown away by the animation of the water. A stormy night in Ryu's old home. The water flowing down off the roof and the stormy weather set the stage beautifully. I'm hoping this is a new stage in the future.
- 00:20-00:30: Throws back to the Arcade Edition teaser from months ago. But we get more details. Ryu has come back to meditate on his new
- 00:30-00:45: Ryu v. Akuma never gets old. Now it's Ryu's power of Nothingness v. Akuma's Satsui no Hado. Good v. evil clash once again.
- 00:45-00:51: I'm loving the slow motion movments and the way how Ryu's jaw wobbles a bit after Akuma give him a nasty punch to the face. You see dust kicking up after a knee to Ryu's back shoulder. Fight effects?
- 00:52-00:55: THIS got me super excited. When Ryu gets a scratch on his face that we clearly see at the end of the clip. Does this confirm the fighters are now gonna sustain in-game fight injuries? Bruises? Cuts? dirtied clothes? Will this carry from round to round? I think it's a cosmetic that has been missing for years. And I"m glad to see it come back. That's got me hyped the most... that is until.
- 00:56-01:10: Prepare yourself for 15 seconds of pure perfection, elation, and beauty!

- CHUN-LI BABY! This graceful beauty brought me to tears. (I'm not lying. It made me cry)
- Before I get into commenting on the background, i just want to say that as someone who has grown up doing theatre, I love the way they presented the backgrounds and set dresses as if they were on stage. The set design just screamed memories of doing theatre growing up and in college. And for someone with an appreciation for the arts, I love how they incorporated this into the cinematic. It's a show, so lets treat it like one. Gives it a theatre-esque pazazz to it.
- I'm not sure if the background is going to be a new stage or part of a new story. But I'm seeing chinese lanterns, a vase of flowers, a dresser, and a large mirror. I doubt this is gonna be a new stage, nor do I see it being a part of her home. So maybe it's just to show the beautiful perfection that is Chun-Li

Speaking of beautiful perfection.

I would give anything to be kissed with lips divine as hers. This pic will haunt my dreams and bring about absolute pleasure for all who worship Capcom's mighty queen.

How can anyone hate this face? Even with the addition of the lipstick, she still retains that sweet smile and personality that I just love. That smile just melted me inside. And the falling cherry blossom petals made it feel like heaven has sent an angel to bless me.

The first part of the clip shows Chun-Li's beauty. The second part with her smile shows her personality. And this one with the backflip, the kick, and twist displays her third attribute: Her fighting style. This short sequence shows everything about Chun-Li. She's athletic and uses her speed and her gymnast-like movements to fight. He kicks are her signature, taking great pride in using them to fight. She's graceful, she'll strike fast and leave a mark, but she'll look good doing it. Flowing like water, in her kung fu. Speed, grace, athletic, and kicks. Words that perfectly sum up Chun-Li in-game.

Let's have one last look at her luscious legs and her beautiful qipao one more time, shall we? And come on, you all know Capcom was teasing us with this last shot of Chun-Li. We all know the entire FGC wants that fun in the Chun.

Alright now, back to dissecting the trailer.

- 1:10-1:17: The ice queen Kolin. She was a my 2nd/3rd favorite addition to the game. And with set design and her v-trigger 1 at the end of the clip, they show to all who have been living under a rock that she uses ICE ICE BABY. She looks great though
- 1:18-1:25: We transition from cold to hot as we see Rashid with sand all around. Rashid parkours his way into the light and then shows off new v-trigger after. #sandstorm
- 1:29-1:34: Before I get into Laura, I'm super hyped with the rain and water effects. Could this be inputed into the game? Will clothes and body parts have water effects when drenched in the rain, or if you get knocked down into the ocean like in the beach stage? Clearly you see Laura's hair, skin, and clothes shine from the water. So I'm hoping it's another cosmetic that capcom is adding.
- 1:34-1:39: Laura and Ryu training together? Story hint? What is the significance of the two training together. They did not interact in ASF and I don't think they met at all in their respective character stories. So what's going on here? Or am I reading too much into this?
- Love the stomp at the end with the water splash (i love water. What can I say?)
- 1:40-1:50: BLANKA IS BACK!!! And Sakura as well. I am hyped about a potential Jungle stage. It's only fitting for blanka. Looking wild, and him running with Sakura cements their relationship from SFIV when both went to train with Dan. Loved seeing them run together. I'm excited to see Blanka in game. And it's going to be WILD. And that genuine smile sakura gave before jumping off the ledge. That got me. Love it
- 1:50-1:55: New stage hint? Shadaloo city? 30th anniversary city? You see Blanka emoji's SF1 artwork, SFII intro in the capcom building (and maybe Capcom v. snk too?) A stage that commemorates 30 years of SF. That would be nice.
- 1:55-2:05: I said Kolin was my 2nd/3rd favorite additon to the cast. Menat is clearly my first. Love seeing her animated in this clip. She's got that kid-like exhuberance in addition the mystique that all fortune-tellers have. She was great to look at, and in action.
- 2:07-2:09: Great! We get Season 3's first new character and HOLY SHIT it's abe lincoln... oh boy i have no idea how I should feel about this. And his name is... G? G?! WTF does G stand for? That i totally disagree with. No other character shall be named with one letter other than Q because of the mysteriousness that is his character. G is setting up to be like a joke. I will reserve judgement until the end. But so far right now, he's the cahracter I'm least excited for.
- 2:11-2:17: Zeku transformation... great. I highly doubt the background will signify new stage. But I think they want to show EVERY season 2 character. So I dont blame them.
- 2:19-2:26: Can we just take a moment and see how strong Abigail is? He takes literally the front 25% of a car and lifts it with one hand and crushes it to cubist art with both hands. If he can do that with one hand, imagine how much punching power he has. If I wasn't so occupied with how bad his character was, I would be impressed. But with this, I must say that I am somewhat impressed. I'm glad they made him look like an intimidating brute instead of... of... Character Story abigail... (shudders) Also, could this be a subtle hint of bonsus stages? Crushing cars? Am I right?
- 2:27-2:40: The Hype train is back with the return of Cody. And damn, prision has... reformed him? He's looking dapper... with an expensive-looking watch on one wrist and... cuffs on the other. In regards to story, I really want to know what happens from SFIV to SFV. I love it when characters make a change, and it looks like Cody does.
- 2:45-2:50: SAGAT BITCHES!!! The most requested character to be in the game! Capcom has heard the people and they have listened. That sagat stage pretty much confirmed with that statue. Sagat looking fierce and intimidating. I can't wait to play as him again.
- 2:51- 2:57: The strikes look amazing. I love seeing the sweat fly off of the fighters. Again, will we see this in the game? I'm super hyped if it is. Seeing the sweat and spit fly off of someone after a hard punch to the head would look super sick! And speaking of...
- 2:58-3:09: Ryu with that Shin Shoryuken!!! The 15 second clip with Chun-Li is clearly my favorite, but this one clearly takes second place. I loved seeing Sagat's solar plexus get impacted with Ryu's fist. Seeing the sweat bounce off and the impact of his skin form the punch just made me melt inside. Such beautiful fight animation. And that uppercut with the saliva expectorating from his mouth just looked super nice. Maybe I'm a sucker fro slow-motion fight impact cinematics. But this was sick. I could watch that sequence over and over and over again. (who am I kidding. i've already watched it 10 times since writing this post)
- 3:15-3:22: Neo-Shadaloo is in play! Looks like Chun-Li's job of justice is not quite over yet. But since Chun isn't in this sequence, we'll talk about those who are. Now Ed and Falke look... similar? Maybe it's the uniform, maybe it's the hair. Or maybe they could be... related? I think there must be something more going on with these two. And she's got a stick... And whats their plan with Ryu? More satsui no hado crap again? I am wondering the significance and symbolism of him being underwater.
- 3:30-3:45: ROunding up the cinematic, we go right back to where we started. I take a lot of things from this. First, Ryu seems to still be battling the dark hado in him... still. (come on capcom, move on from this already). Second, sweat dripping down. Post fight effects? Again, it's a repeat, but I would be surprised if they didn't add it. Third: weather. If weather plays a factor with stages, will there be an option to turn it on and off? Fourth: Ryu's scar still on his face, repeating again about in-game fight injuries.

I know there were a lot of characters missing. BUt lets be honest, they can't fit everyone. But they fit the ones that mattered in my opinion:
- They have their top 3 most popular characters: Ryu, Chun-Li, and Akuma
- They introduce all of the new season 3 characters
- And to transition from the previous season, they included all of season 2 characters as well.
- Rashid and Laura are the only question marks for me. But I think they had Rashid to contract Kolin and her ice and snow. And laura was in for... sex appeal?

Thanks to all who treked through this long... LONG analysis of the AE cinematic. I got so hyped I couldn't control myself. But I am glad that you guys are as hyped as I am. This is going to be something special

Happy Thanksgiving week everyone (to all my American SRK posters). Even though I still have to work all week this week, I'm super glad I got to wake up to the news of new costumes... coming at the end of the month too! So it's only a week and a half before new content!

- Doesn't X-mas Alex look like a younger, more jacked, less jolly version of Santa Claus? I like how his belt has that Champion wrestler theme to it. I think this is a great costume for him. Not spectacular, but great - 8.5/10
- Cammy has an interesting X-Mas costume. i really wanted to say "Santa's Little Helpers", but then I see the cat ears on her head. Still, I think it's a little wierd with teh x-mas theme. However, Cammy has always been a master of sexy (yes @Phantom_Miria - I just said that). And while other this costume may be a little less revealing than others, she still dons the apparel well - 7/10
- Kolin, the Ice Queen, litteraly. Short and simple: if there is one perfect X-mas costume Capcom has created, it's crystal clear that Kolin's ice queen costume takes the cake (say that 5x fast). - 10/10
- Menat's xmas costume once again tries to combine cats with Christmas. I get the theme and how that particular animal relates to her. And while she looks waifu material in this costume, I will admit that Cammy's subtle cat ears play the cat look better than Menat's cat tail, ears, and Egyptian look. The only X-mas things I see on her is a sleigh bell on her chest, and the color. But other than that, I feel that this one doesn't work as strongly for an xmas costume - 5/10

- Personally, I love Birdie as a fatass fighter. He's definitely more comical, yet still a very heavy hitter. In the SF story, he was the comic relief character. And his size worked well with it. With that said, Alpha Birdie looks good. He trades the beer belly for a six-pack. And fans of old Birdie would appreciate this. - 8/10
- Hoodie Balrog looked cool from the start, but then after realizing that he can't remove it from his head, nor does Capcom have an easter egg version that allows that, it started to get annoying. Now with this one, Balrog goes back to the classic costume that everyone knows and loves. The only subtle change I see is the "Buffalo" patch on his gloves, which I'm totally okay with. Not blown away, but it's a nice insignia. Sometimes, it's best to leave things a lone instead of changing them. - 9/10
- If you like nostalgia, then Karin's is a must-buy. Karin's school girl look brings her back to the Alpha days. And she still looks good as always. I still think her SFV costume is the best costume she's got to date, but I guess with the anticipation of Sakura coming back to the game,The School Girl v. School Girl rivalry was gonna come up again. 9/10

And of course, I save the absolute best (character, not costumes) for last.

- Out of all of the costume Chun-Li has donned over the years, Alpha is a clear top 10 in my eyes. And even though it's my least favorite out of all of her rehashed costumes (classic and battle dress), it's still just as recognizable. I'm all for not changing the classics. And capcom almost nailed Alpha Chun-Li perfectly. The hair, the vest, the shoes, and the unitard look just as how I remembered it. And it retains that iconic alpha look that we adore. (Hell, even her shoulders don't look out of proportion like some 2d sprites look). However, I did say that capcom ALMOST nailed it perfectly. While I understand the practicality of the fingerless mma gloves, I think that as a rookie interpol agent, it doesn't suit her look. And as a result, this nostalgia costume falls short of the perfect score. - 9/10
- Oooooo... kay... So this combination just doesn't work. Granted, it's Chun-Li, she still looks gorgeous in this costume. However, there is just too many things going on with this that it's hard to appreciate it. This was designed by Akiman. And I wager that he wanted to combine Chun-Li's classic outfit with her battle dress outfit. This actually isn't what makes this costume bad. Knock points off for color scheme, but the design isn't terrible. I love Chun-Li showing skin, and if you wanted to combine two of Chun-Li's best costumes, while this doesn't quite 100% nail it, you can at least see where they wanted to go with it. The top isn't bad... it's the other things that make it worse. The addition of the fingerless gloves, knee/shin pads, and tennis shoes speak MMA fighter. And the problem with that the combination of MMA fighting style and look absolutely clashes with Chun-Li's fighting style and look. in short, while it isn't the worst costume she's got (Still washing the bad summer SFIV and the Red Bull skank costume out of my mouth), It clearly cracks the bottom 3 or 5. - 4.5/10
- Chun-Li rocking the tactical police gear. And we have another addition to Chun-Li's police collection (Alpha, story, undercover) The positives about this is that I can absolutely see Chun-Li wearing something like this during a police raid or shootout. The pads, the bulletproof vest, and the visor make Chun-Li look like a badass.Only thing that's missing is a gun at her side. And maybe have that bulletproof vest cover her midsection more. Almost completely practical in a shootout or a raid... but Street Fighter isn't about shooting people is it, it's about beating the crap out of each other. And I feel that in a fist fight, we loose that practicality with this costume. I feel the pads and her vest would hinder her movements in a close quarters fight, especially with her kung fu fighting style. i don't know This costume looks great, but it isn't anything special. Out of all of her police outfits she's got, I have to admit that this is my least favorite one. But she still looks good. - 6.5/10